Back home, friends and colleagues expressed happiness that Okhotin would finally be free to return to the United States after an enforced five-month extension of what he intended as a few days of travel. But many were at the same time outraged at what they said was a miscarriage of justice.

“Certainly I’m relieved that there’s no jail sentence, because for a while things looked really dire,” said HDS spokesperson Wendy S. McDowell. “It seems like it’s not the worst possible outcome but it’s probably not the best.”

Dunphy Professor of the Practice in Religion David Little, who worked closely with Okhotin at Harvard, was even more downcast when he heard the verdict.

“That’s extremely bad news, very troubling,” he said. “We had all hoped he would be exonerated and he’s not, so it’s a very sad outcome I think.”

Others lamented the loss of the $48,000.

Susan Clark, a family friend who has been active in organizing prayer vigils and other support activities for Okhotin among the Baptist community, said she was dismayed that the money would not yet reach its intended charitable purpose.

“It doesn’t belong to Russia, the Russian system or whoever’s pocket it ended up in,” Clark said. “It belongs to God.”

Homeward Bound?

Okhotin said he felt it was his moral duty to appeal the guilty verdict, even though it meant possibly delaying his return to Harvard for another semester.

“I know who’s going to be splitting [the $48,000]—the people at customs,” Okhotin said. “Just the thought of that makes me want to stay.”

Okhotin’s lawyer, Vladimir Ryakhovsky said after the trial that he would seek to overturn the verdict based on the contention that Okhotin did not intentionally hide the money from customs and also that the money did not belong to Okhotin—so he should not be held accountable for it.

For the devout Baptist, the verdict was a dissatisfying conclusion—or disappointing twist—to a five-month ordeal that has been marked by prayer with his family, a month-long hunger strike and the study of several languages.

The day the verdict was announced brought more anxiety for the Okhotin family, as the judge did not walk into the courtroom until 3 p.m.—despite his pronouncement at the conclusion of the trial that the verdict would be given at 10 a.m.

Okhotin spent the day tensely pacing back and forth—sometimes holding the hand of his 10 month-old niece, Daniela—along the fifth floor hall of the Golovi Courthouse.

By the time Yakovlev abruptly entered the sparse courtroom, Okhotin’s crowd of supporters had dwindled down to family, a close friend and several journalists. The once-giggly Daniela was soundly sleeping on Okhotin’s brother’s shoulder.